In high school the thing that impacted my life most significantly was band, and my conductor, Mr. Coyne. Each year, he selects seven freshman by audition to join the extremely prestigious and competitive wind ensemble. For 52 years consecutively, they've placed first nationally. Somehow, I practiced enough and made it in! I was so proud! However, when we had the first rehearsal, I wasn't so sure I could handle it. Mr. Coyne, the conductor, was incredibly demanding, strict, and didn't put up with anything less than excellence. He gave us a speech then about mediocrity and passion that set the stage for my entire high school career, and probably will stick with me for the rest of my life. As a senior, I finally figured it all out: he was harsh on us because he knew what each and every one of us were capable of, and he knew that we were doing a disservice to ourselves by not reaching our full potential and working as hard as we could. Band was the most incredible experience, I learned to thrive under copious amounts of pressure, I learned to be confident, and I learned not to be afraid to make a mistake, because that's how you grow. Most importantly though, I learned that hard work absolutely does pay off and that passion is necessary to achieve anything great. Over those four years, I spent one hour a day in school, and all my Monday and Wednesday nights at three hour long rehearsals with my bandmates. I got to travel all over the USA, make some really great memories, and of course play some great music. The band room was like my second home and almost all my friends were in band too, and consequently my life basically revolved around it. Mr. Coyne showed me how much more there is to being a great teacher than just teaching the course material. He could really inspire kids, he could get anyone to work harder than they thought they could, simply because he was not someone you wanted to disappoint. His high expectations for us in turn left us having higher standards for ourselves, which is incredibly valuable to a high school student, and something we could apply not only to all of our classes, but to our lives. Teachers like him can make all the difference in a kid's life. I would not even be close to who I am today if I hadn't been in band for those four years. If I turn out to be half the teacher he was, than I'll be thrilled!
In high school the thing that impacted my life most significantly was band, and my conductor, Mr. Coyne. Each year, he selects seven freshman by audition to join the extremely prestigious and competitive wind ensemble. For 52 years consecutively, they've placed first nationally. Somehow, I practiced enough and made it in! I was so proud! However, when we had the first rehearsal, I wasn't so sure I could handle it. Mr. Coyne, the conductor, was incredibly demanding, strict, and didn't put up with anything less than excellence. He gave us a speech then about mediocrity and passion that set the stage for my entire high school career, and probably will stick with me for the rest of my life. As a senior, I finally figured it all out: he was harsh on us because he knew what each and every one of us were capable of, and he knew that we were doing a disservice to ourselves by not reaching our full potential and working as hard as we could. Band was the most incredible experience, I learned to thrive under copious amounts of pressure, I learned to be confident, and I learned not to be afraid to make a mistake, because that's how you grow. Most importantly though, I learned that hard work absolutely does pay off and that passion is necessary to achieve anything great. Over those four years, I spent one hour a day in school, and all my Monday and Wednesday nights at three hour long rehearsals with my bandmates. I got to travel all over the USA, make some really great memories, and of course play some great music. The band room was like my second home and almost all my friends were in band too, and consequently my life basically revolved around it. Mr. Coyne showed me how much more there is to being a great teacher than just teaching the course material. He could really inspire kids, he could get anyone to work harder than they thought they could, simply because he was not someone you wanted to disappoint. His high expectations for us in turn left us having higher standards for ourselves, which is incredibly valuable to a high school student, and something we could apply not only to all of our classes, but to our lives. Teachers like him can make all the difference in a kid's life. I would not even be close to who I am today if I hadn't been in band for those four years. If I turn out to be half the teacher he was, than I'll be thrilled!